What would you like to see in the budget.

My feeling is that if you can afford to go out and get drunk then involved in an accident then you can also pay a higher NI contribution.

What about if you don't work, earn your income from renting property or are retired and don't pay NICs?

DaisyAnn. Fir a long time I have thought along the same lines as you. National insurance and NHS need to be taxed separately. I think most people would
accept its something we need to fund if its clear the money is going directly to the NHS. And we would be more accepting when the amount we pay has to increase. Hunt has acknowledged pensioners are struggling, so suspect they will get a decent, if not the full triple lock, increase in pension. And I think the household fuel supplement for next year may be means tested in some way.

A radical rethink of the NHS. We should look at alternative funding models, NOT the USA but European. The expensive new treatments and rapidly advancing technology were not envisioned when the NHS was originally founded and indeed the initial concept was of a public/ private partnership mooted by a conservative minister and taken over by Labour. This should be a cross party/Royal Commission endeavour. Dead wood (and seemingly there’s A LOT of it!) should certainly be cut! I would also like to see housing given the priority it has long deserved, particularly social housing. It is an utter disgrace to our so called civilised country that so many are homeless or in substandard accommodation. Our people deserve better than the present shambles and children, most affected by this, are the future of all of us. However, I have very low expectations of this ‘financial statement’ as I doubt that Sunak and his cronies will have the guts to tamper overly much with our failing sacred cow, the NHS, and housing ministers are full of fine rhetoric but absolutely no convincing action.

On medical insurance, what happens if you are not in work;only work part time. Who pays for children? Or would it be a blanket amount to be paid by all or based on earnings - back to those who don't work again.

GoldenAge

Reductions in payments made to former PMs, windfall tax on energy companies, higher NI contributions (yes I think they should definitely be higher) and all the money to be ringfenced for the NHS and social care. I spent 13 hours in the A+E department of a large prestigious London hospital yesterday which has featured on TV as a beacon of good practice. It was like being in a Third World country - the waiting times, the lack of seating, the over-crowding, the pervading sense of trauma, the need for police - never ending. OH walked in with a suspected TIA and although triaged as Urgent, waited for hours - he did have a seat though which is something (he's 82). Interestingly, I did several surveys as we moved from one place to another within the overall A+E department and overwhelmingly the population was below 70. I asked various staff if yesterday/last night was representative of other days and was told that it was - it's not so much the older population using A+E. My feeling is that if you can afford to go out and get drunk then involved in an accident then you can also pay a higher NI contribution. I know that won't be a popular statement but after 13 hours observing the situation I am feeling irritated.

I do think there’s something to be said for higher NICs as well as higher taxes. If we were sure they would be used to fund proper levels of public services I’m sure most people wouldn’t object. It’s beyond me where they’ve managed to find room for cuts this time round, given where public services are at the moment - it’s quite frightening.

Reductions in payments made to former PMs, windfall tax on energy companies, higher NI contributions (yes I think they should definitely be higher) and all the money to be ringfenced for the NHS and social care. I spent 13 hours in the A+E department of a large prestigious London hospital yesterday which has featured on TV as a beacon of good practice. It was like being in a Third World country - the waiting times, the lack of seating, the over-crowding, the pervading sense of trauma, the need for police - never ending. OH walked in with a suspected TIA and although triaged as Urgent, waited for hours - he did have a seat though which is something (he's 82). Interestingly, I did several surveys as we moved from one place to another within the overall A+E department and overwhelmingly the population was below 70. I asked various staff if yesterday/last night was representative of other days and was told that it was - it's not so much the older population using A+E. My feeling is that if you can afford to go out and get drunk then involved in an accident then you can also pay a higher NI contribution. I know that won't be a popular statement but after 13 hours observing the situation I am feeling irritated.

omega1

I've only just realised how much money it costs to keep the Government, Opposition, House of Lords, and all their staff in wages, luxury cars, flights, hotel rooms, banquets etc. We could save a lot of money by getting rid of the lot of them and starting a new system

My sister has a fantasy that we can sell off the Palace of Westminster brick by brick to the USA and rebuild some more practical debating chamber with offices in the middle of the country. Just made me smile 😊

Pammie1

dizzygran

I would like them to keep the triple lock. Many OAPs are struggling. However. I do think that people who carry on working past the age of 60 should pay NI in relation to earnings.

I remember my late husband was an agency worker on a fixed term contract with BT when he reached retirement age. He was flabbergasted when he received his first payslip after his state pension kicked in - he hadn’t realised that NI contributions would stop. I too, think it should carry on if people choose to work after receipt of state pension. I assume it stops because it’s not possible to accumulate any more pension entitlement, but continued contributions would perhaps make it more sustainable.

The NIC stop for the individual once they reach pensionable age but, assuming that they are employed, rather than self employed, their employer continues to pay employers' contributions.

I would like to see NIC paid by those whose main income is derived from dividends (directors of small companies) and also from rental income. Most people pay both NIC and IT - why shouldn't the aforementioned pay too.

Cossy

I’d love to see :-

Tax thresholds raised
Inflation increases for all public sector workers
Overhaul of our NHS
State Pensions commitments to at least inflation increases
Removal of MPs expenses and subsidies
Higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol
Increased taxation over £200,000
Overhaul of care system

And on and on …..

Increase the personal allowance to take more of the low paid out of taxation

Reduce the ceiling for the lower rate band from £50, 270 to say £45,000

Reduce the higher rate band to £100,000 at 40%

Reduce the higher rate band to £150,000 at 45%

Introduce 50% on all income over £150,000

Don't forget that landlords still get tax relief on mortgage interest at the basic rate

Pension premiums still obtain tax relief at the marginal rate of the tax payer.

dizzygran

I would like them to keep the triple lock. Many OAPs are struggling. However. I do think that people who carry on working past the age of 60 should pay NI in relation to earnings.

I remember my late husband was an agency worker on a fixed term contract with BT when he reached retirement age. He was flabbergasted when he received his first payslip after his state pension kicked in - he hadn’t realised that NI contributions would stop. I too, think it should carry on if people choose to work after receipt of state pension. I assume it stops because it’s not possible to accumulate any more pension entitlement, but continued contributions would perhaps make it more sustainable.

I would like them to keep the triple lock. Many OAPs are struggling. However. I do think that people who carry on working past the age of 60 should pay NI in relation to earnings.

I’m concerned by rumours that the government is looking at introducing means testing for disability benefits like PIP/DLA/AA and carers allowance. I feel as though disability benefits are at the forefront of any round of cuts and are considered the low hanging fruit. I know it’s been leaked that pensions and benefits will rise by inflation, but this has to be paid for somehow and like everything else, the devil is in the detail. Mel Stride was asked about it in parliament last week and would not confirm or deny, saying he couldn’t comment on what may or may not appear in the budget.

Like others, I would also like to see House of Lords attendance allowances reduced along with in house subsidies on food and drink. Would be nice if the annual payments to ex PM’s were either stopped after a period of time or reduced. About time MP’s shouldered some of the ‘burden’ as they possess the ‘broader shoulders’ the government are looking for.

An obvious win would be to enable asylum seekers to work while their cases are reviewed (at a snail's pace by the hopeless Home Office) so they can contribute to the economy AND to increase immigration to fill jobs (from fruit picking to consultant surgery) that can't be readily filled by UK nationals because of an aging population, lack of skills, etc. It would of course be necessary for the Tories to abandon their ridiculously low target of tens of thousands of immigrants.

I’d love to see :-

Tax thresholds raised
Inflation increases for all public sector workers
Overhaul of our NHS
State Pensions commitments to at least inflation increases
Removal of MPs expenses and subsidies
Higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol
Increased taxation over £200,000
Overhaul of care system

And on and on …..

Daisy Anne - I agree we are moving in a hopeful direction to rejoin the EU. More and more people are saying Brexit was a mistake, even in The Telegraph. The problem is the main Parties have too much baggage on it: the Tories having been made into the Party of Brexit by Johnson and the loony Right and Labour with its Left wing suspicions a la Benn and Corbyn of the EEC as a capitalist conspiracy not to mention Starmer's fear of the Northern working class Brexit vote. Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I've only just realised how much money it costs to keep the Government, Opposition, House of Lords, and all their staff in wages, luxury cars, flights, hotel rooms, banquets etc. We could save a lot of money by getting rid of the lot of them and starting a new system

I read that councils are very likely to become bankrupt if the cuts are severe or indeed at all.

What happens to care etc then?

In 12 years the Tories have successfully completely ruined this country.

Yes. Subsidies for MPs food shoukd be scrapped. Its not so much the money as the optics (latest terminology). Pay market price or take a packed lunch which can be prepared in your fully expensed second home. Simple.

A windfall tax to be imposed and MPs expenses reduced along with the subsidies on their fine dining in Parliament. Also join the single market

ronib

Young working families in England with two children under the age of three have childcare costs of £2500 or more per month depending on hours worked. I think £4K annually for 2 children is refunded by Inland Revenue as well as monthly child benefit being paid.

Why so complicated? Does this government not want female participation in the workforce? I was pleased to see that Sunak has referred Norway on a couple of occasions. They certainly lead the way in childcare. Their philosophy is that children are an integral part of society. I get the feeling this view is not shared across this country.

In 2018, the average US manufacturer price per standard unit across all insulins was $98.70, compared to $6.94 in Australia, $12.00 in Canada, and $7.52 in the UK.

pharmanewsintel.com/news/insulin-prices-8x-higher-in-the-us-compared-to-similar-nations

MaizieD

What do you know about the cost of insulin, growstuff?. Because there's been some publicity (twitter?) about it recently; it is apparently extremely cheap to manufacture but in the US it's charged at a massively higher price. I just wondered what it's like here.

And thanks for finding that link for me. I was being too idle to look it up myself...

I don't know much specifically about insulin prices in the UK. T1 diabetics in the UK get it free, as well as all other medications. I'm not sure how much it costs the NHS. In the US, having insulin-dependent diabetes is a death sentence, if you're poor.

Here's a link to costs in other countries:

worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cost-of-insulin-by-country

Young working families in England with two children under the age of three have childcare costs of £2500 or more per month depending on hours worked. I think £4K annually for 2 children is refunded by Inland Revenue as well as monthly child benefit being paid.

Got this today from the Scottish Greens:

I am delighted to tell you that the Scottish Child Payment has been expanded to £25 a week and extended to include eligible children and young people up to age 16.

When we entered government, the payment was £10 a week, but we have worked with our Scottish Government colleague to increase it by 150% and expand the number of eligible young people to 400,000.

This is putting money into the pockets of families and making a difference to parents and children all over Scotland. Whether it is extra money for essentials like food and nappies or allowing them to go for days out that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, this payment is an important part of our work to support families in Scotland.

We have also mitigated the cruel benefit cap, scrapped the requirement for demeaning benefits assessments in the Adult Disability Payment, which replaces the cruel and dehumanising Personal Independence Payment, and ensured that the benefits we control are in line with inflation.

As well as these vital changes to benefits, we have delivered free bus travel for everyone under 22 while extending free school meals and ensuring that government contracts pay at least the real living wage.

With rising inflation, energy costs and Tory cuts, the action that we are taking to challenge poverty could not be more urgent.

Many thanks

Maggie Chapman MSP
Social security spokesperson, Scottish Greens

If the Scottish Government can do these things from a limited budget and few powers over taxation, why can the Westminster Government not do the same or better? Is it a case of where there's a will there's a way?

volver

ronib

volver

Foreign aid isn't like putting 50p in the collection box when you feel like it. Foreign aid is commitments and contracts.

I suppose you could try saying that you've not going to pay your car tax this year but the well off bloke down the road should do it for you. That might work.

What is our budgetary deficit 3trillion? Yes why not get the richer countries to contribute more? Commitments and contracts to China and India?

Aye, I'm sure you're right.

Some days it's not worth arguing. This is one of those days.

I had reached the same conclusion. ronib is, of course, entitled to his/hers/their opinion but I strongly doubt his/hers/their personal "truths".

Austerity has only one use. That is to shrink the state. You cannot shrink the state and grow the economy. You need, as a minimum, healthy, well-educated workers to do that. Both of these are likely to be impossible if what we have been told to expect is what we get.